Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Food, and My Aversion to It.

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but I'm not going to lie--life has gotten harder in week 7. There are 2 little babies growing inside me and they are really starting to kick my ass.

Food has been the biggest challenge. I still don't have that much true 'nausea' or at least I don't think I do. Maybe I'm kidding myself and waiting for something really, really bad and this is bad. But there hasn't been any vomiting or gagging and for that I am very grateful.
Instead, I just get incredibly queasy and dizzy when I haven't eaten and yet I am hungry for NOTHING.

At this point, I just try to make myself eat, but everything tastes like sawdust. Yesterday I had a rare moment where pizza sounded like a good idea, so during one of my 'feeling pretty good' moments I managed to make a really great healthy pizza: grilled chicken, spinach, mushrooms-it even looked good to me. Then I ate it and it was like I was chewing cardboard.

Today I was reading all about how early weight gain in the first trimester is critical for multiples and I just felt like crying. I was not eating the 'average' amount of calories before I got pregnant and now...I am not getting the extra calories either. It's so many calories for someone my size. I can't even imagine how I could eat that many calories feeling like I do. It's starting to stress me out and I think I might just have to go get some of those Ensure or Boost drinks just to make sure I get enough calories.

I'm sorry if this sounds so whiny. I am just feeling pretty crappy. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy to finally be pregnant and I know we are so blessed, but this constant ick feeling is draining.
This is a roller coaster right now. I feel bad, I feel OK, back and forth, up and down. I never know how long the feeling will last and it's exhausting because I don't ever feel like myself anymore.

Sorry for being the bitchy pregnant lady. I'm just telling it like it is. The good and the bad.

28 comments:

boo said...

I think that drinking ensure sounds like a great idea. Also look into just adding calories to everything that you can choke down- butter, cream, and peanut butter are your very good friends (add them to soups, smoothies, and anything that might sound good to eat). If you can manage to keep down a prenatal vitamin, you're getting good nutrition and just need work on adding some calories to that. Also, you might want to take a B6 supplement, which can often help with first trimester nausea/grossness.

I'm so sorry that you're feeling so yuck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that in a couple weeks the nausea/food aversion will pass and will be replaced by a good twin building appetite.

cindyhoo2 said...

:) I am sure that no one in our little circle will begrudge you for not being all hearts and flowers every second of your pregnancy. So keep telling us the way it really is! Feeling sick all the time just sucks no matter what the reason. I say do whatever you have to do to get your calories down... smoothies, milk shakes, Ensure, whatever.

Hope you feel better soon.

N said...

I'm so completely in the same boat. There is almost no food that I can manage to eat, let alone that sounds good. I had a roommate that did drink boost/ensure in order to make sure she was getting what she needed while pregnant. If I could have them (can't, allergies), I might, except even thinking about the smell of them right now makes me go BLERGH.

I've found a few things that are okay for me - fruit & cereal bars (a la nutrigrain bars, from TJ's), kraft dinner (sad, but true), and a specific kind of dip that I can eat on various things. They're kind of the staples of my diet right now. Hopefully you can find a few things you can eat.

Malinda said...

Please don't worry about apologizing for anything! This is your blog PERIOD!

I wonder if maybe some smoothies would be easier to get down? Add some protein powder and a few handfuls of spinach, banana, yogurt and fruit... tons off ideas online I'm sure.

Just a thought :-)

Heather said...

This is your blog, you are allowed to post anything you want, good or bad. We want to hear everything, even if it is about how much you can not eat. lol. I think that the ensure/boost drinks sound like a good idea, can't hurt right? I think that the smoothie idea is good also, maybe drinking those needed cals in a yummy shake would be easier. Good Luck!!

Anonymous said...

Aw. Do what you can do and try not to worry too much. Even though you have 2 babes on board, they are tiny and their nutritional needs are also tiny. Sounds like you've gotten good advice from previous posters in terms of extra calories. Hope your appetite improves soon. {{{}}}

tireegal68 said...

oh that sounds yucky!!! I am so sorry. You deserve to moan if you want to. You have earned that!
I second the smoothies or maybe comfort food - I like to eat mashed potatoes when I feel sick or canned soup. I hope it gets better soon.So excited about your twinnies!
PS how many embies did you transfer?

Carey said...

I drank Boost shakes with protein - super cold, would pop them in the freezer for a bit. Almost slushy. It's the protein you want, so get it in where you can.

The first trimester kicks your ass - don't try and do all the right/perfect things - just survive it :) You can bitch all you want - just b/c you want something so badly, doesn't mean you forfeit your right to complain. It's hard work growing a baby, much less two!!

Mashed potatoes were my friend those first few weeks. And french fries - something about the carbs & salt I think.

shindagrl said...

Three words:

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake.

What you normally do eat, however few calories it may give, is very healthy so you're feeding their little brains and eyes and all of that with your usual. Of course, protein shakes are a great addition.

Fatten 'em up with the milkshakes. Plus, if you do get queasy, milkshakes are my #1 comfort food. And hey, you've got dairy totally covered!

Rachel said...

No one expects you to be a martyr just because you've been waiting so long for this moment.

I second peanut butter and littering the house with easy snacks so you can grab something if you feel the slightest inclination. I stressed a lot about 1st trimester weight gain, but put on plenty of weight later to make up for it. I know things with twins are different, but (if you've found a midwife/ob/gyn), you might want to check how strictly they care about the early weight gain.

mulberry said...

hang in there... i SO know how you feel.

Inlocoparentis said...

I went through a queasy period like that. It sucked. I tried the protein drinks - blech. My partner made a lot of juice in the juicer and I found that managable. Good luck - hopefully it will pass quickly.

Schroedinger said...

Blah! Sorry you feel so crappy. Be gentle to yourself. You are not harming your lovely twins... just experiment with what feels okay to eat and do what you can. Plenty of women I know lost weight in the first trimester, because of the very things you describe. Trust that chicklet and shadow boxer will get what they need from you and just continue to do your best.
xoxo

Anonymous said...

ugh, sorry to hear you are feeling gross. a lot of women dont gain weight in the first trimester (or even lose weight, like i did) and everything is fine. the babies are pretty self-reliant at this early stage.

i promise it gets better. hang in there!

AdventuresInBabyMaking said...

Yuck, that doesn’t sound like fun at all. You’ve got some great suggestions here. There’s also a product called GU, it’s a gel that gives you a lot of calories (I occasionally pick some up when I’m hiking in kind of extreme terrain, just as a light and quick backup). I’m not sure it’s as healthy as a smoothie, though.

A couple of days ago, I was flipping thru the digit tv guide thing and saw a show called “Surprise Twins” or “Twins by Surprise” or something like that – where women gave birth to two when they were expecting one. I thought of you guys and Shadow Boxer hiding behind Chicken!

Hope this nauseous yuckiness quickly passes.

Jen said...

I am right there with you. I am 14 weeks today and still feeling awful (missed work yesterday) so just try to do what you can. I have been vomiting a lot and have lost weight in the first trimester, but everything still seems to be okay, so don't stress too much. i HIGLY recommend getting some zofran for the nausea, it does help, and eat anything that you can, regardless of the nutrition...last week I ate three payday candy bars for the protein! They say it gets better, so let's both hope.

Anonymous said...

Huge bummer. (Understatement!)

I'm sorry that you're feeling terrible, and hope that something (ANYTHING) strikes your fancy today that actually tastes good. Just. One. Thing.

Also, don't apologize for writing about symptoms. It doesn't suggest you aren't grateful, so don't worry about that.

Hoping for a good tummy day for you.

2girlsandtheirfamily said...

You know - I lost about 5lbs or so in the first trimester from food aversion and look, I made it to 38 weeks with big round bambinos! My dr was never concerned as he said at that stage the prenatals give the babies what they need and any other nutrients they just take from you. (Hence my anemia since 8 weeks pregnant). Try not to worry about it too much (easier said then done, I know) - the babies will take what they need. And don't read those books of what and how much you SHOULD be eating while pregnant with twins - it'll just drive you CRAZY! You're doing great! Try to enjoy it as the time FLIES by and soon enough YOU'LL be the one delivering your PUMPKINS!!

XXOO!

Anonymous said...

You have the ick times 2... That sucks even if you have waited years for it. I would read the Ensure/Boost cans carefully. Some of those protein shakes specifically say not to drink while pregnant or breastfeeding, though I'm not sure what makes them unsafe. I hope you are able to find something that works for you soon.

Anonymous said...

Aw, don't apologize! It sounds pretty miserable. Don't stress yourself out with internet reading - get as many calories as you can and you'll be fine. Lots and lots of people can barely eat during the first trimester and their babies are healthy.

I hope the food aversions ease up really soon!

Anonymous said...

You should certainly not apologize. You're not whiny or bitchy: you're in your first trimester--with twins, and that's some seriously hard work!

I too never truly got sick. I just had horrible aversions and that awful quesiness. I had aversions to whole meals. I couldn't eat dinner for over a month. Here are a few of the things that worked for me: fruit juice (I tried all kinds, but apple was the friendliest), apples, strawberries, nut butters (almond, cashew, peanut--all good for bringing in extra calories. In fact, I lived on nut butter and jam sandwiches on whole wheat bread for a couple of weeks early on), plain pasta with perhaps some olive oil and parm. In fact, I only wanted the simplest plainest foods during the first trimester. That may be what you need to focus on since at this point, it's more about the fuel.

The best thing you can do is look for the foods you can tolerate--the things that don't bother you at all, and just eat them until you can't anymore, even if that means raisin bran for every meal (did that too). Your appetite for a variety of foods will return in full force before long. Hang in there, woman! xoxo

The Amily Diaries said...

for me keeping something in my stomach at ALL times was key to keeping nausea and food aversion away. Eat crackers or something before bed, when you wake up in the middle of the night, and before you get out of bed. Drinking a supplement will definitely help you get your nutrients and calories. yay! I am still so excited for you guys!!

indigoscot said...

my dp has lost 15lbs since getting pregnant. we are almost 13 weeks and she still has the nausea and yes, sometimes throwing up. ob is not concerned unless she continues to lose weight. :)
i really hope you avoid the puking.

Next in Line said...

Complain all you want. Pregnancy is not easy and I only got one. I hope you get your taste back!

Best When Used By said...

Thank you so much for commenting on my blog! And congratulations on your two little fishies! If you really think you are not getting enough nutrition, I would say to get one of those liquid supplements. Ask your doc which he/she recommends. And I guess the good thing is that the food aversions are likely only to last through the first trimester. Good luck to you both!

Anonymous said...

Don't ever feel like you can't complain about this. It is HARD to feel like shit 24/7 for such a long period of time. I only had the privilege of feeling that way for a short time but I totally get it.

Sorry you feel so crappy and can't eat anything. I think the shakes are probably a good idea. Right now it's about getting something in you no matter what it is or if it is "healthy". Do the best you can and that will be good enough, I promis. You might want to talk to your DR about it too and see if they have any recommendations.

kat said...

you'll be ok. i can't completely relate since i'm having a singleton, but i actually lost 10 lbs in my first tri. I've yet to gain that back. i'm almost 20 wks now and i've only gained at most 3 lbs back. don't stress. just try to eat even if it's not yummy. i agree that a high protein/calorie shake is a good idea. it's quick to drink and will boost you up in lbs and energy.

mama bea, bao in the oven said...

just read your last two posts--congrats on the twinners!! a gemini with twins: now that is something.
hope things start to taste good again soon!